


in my heart it's always you (zkdd2020)

by oliveoilcafe



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, The Blue Spirit - Freeform, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara Drabble December 2020, first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:20:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 21,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27945923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliveoilcafe/pseuds/oliveoilcafe
Summary: zuko and katara are always meant for each otherormy take on drabble december
Relationships: Katara/The Blue Spirit (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 65
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so please don't just too harshly. I'm always open to ideas, but I'm still learning. Hopefully, I'll be putting out more writing soon.  
> Enjoy :))

Day 1: nightfall 

Katara walked around the lower ring of ba sing se. The day was exhausting and she couldn’t spend one more second in that tiny house with her friends. They were all tired and frustrated, just wanting to find Appa and get out of the stupid city. 

She hadn’t brought much with her, just her papers to get back to the upper ring, a couple of pieces, and her water skin. 

Katara walked down the fairly well lit streets as she heard people in pubs, drinking the day away. Nightfall had come and gone, and Katara didn’t want to go back. 

Instead, she walked around some back alleys, hoping to be hidden in the shadows. But, alas, things never worked out how she wanted them to. 

There was a high pitched scream in a nearby alley that made Katara’s blood run cold and boiled all at once. She ran in the way of the scream, that was followed by grunts and the sounds of obvious movement. 

When she rounded the corner, she was shocked at the sight. A small girl cowered against a wall, while two men fought in front of her. Which one was protecting the girl, Katara didn’t know. Then the figures moved and she saw one face, or mask. 

The Blue Spirit had helped Aang escape prison, so Katara figured that he was the one protecting the child. 

Katara entered the fray, or tried to, until she caught the eye of the Spirit. With a grunt, she heard him speak. “Get the girl out of here!” Then his back was turned once again, but Katara was still processing what was happening. “Now!” he ordered. Katara snapped into action, but couldn’t help but feel like that voice was familiar. 

Katara turned to the girl, grabbing her and running out of the alley. When they stopped, Katara asked, “Are you okay?” It was a dumb question and she knew it, the child obviously wasn’t okay and they both knew it, no one could see two men fighting over her and by okay. 

“Um,” she sniffed, “He scraped my arm, but I just wanna go home.” Her voice was unsteady and tears welled in her eyes, but did not fall. 

“Okay, I’m a healer so i can fix your arm, but can you tell me where to bring you home?” Katara asked sweaty, raising the girl’s sleeve to get a better look. The skin was cut, probably by a knife, but there was no real damage, it wouldn’t take long and it wouldn’t scar. 

The girl looked conflicted, but answered, “Two streets over.” 

“Can I heal your arm?” Katara asked. 

“Yes please.” 

“What’s your name?” 

The girl looked down, bashful, “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” 

It almost felt ridiculous to think about. The girl didn’t want to talk to her after she saved her. But seeing as she just got attacked, it was understandable. “Well,” she started, “my name is Katara. I’m a waterbender, which is why I can heal you so well. So, we’re not strangers anymore are we?” The girl shook her head. 

“I’m Niko.” 

She smiled, “It’s nice to meet you Niko.” 

“You too.” 

Once she got Niko healed and home safe, Katara ran back to the alley, either to fight off the attacker, or see the damage either one had caused. The Blue Spirit lay on the ground, propped up against the wall, while the attacker was a few feet away, with barely any blood left in him. His blood pooled beneath him and there was no way he was still alive. 

The Blue Spirit, however, was still alive. His hands were pressed against his stomach and his head was tilted back, all the while he was grunting in pain. Katara rushed to his side. 

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, maybe she meant for him to hear it, maybe not, but he heard it anyway. 

He turned his face to her as she pried his hands away. “How long have you been in the city?” 

“A couple weeks, why?” She answered absentmindedly as she looked over his wound, his stab wound. 

“I just figured you’d hear something about me, that’s all.” 

Katara looked up at him, for some reason she was picturing a face, a face she hadn’t seen in months. “How long have you been here?” 

The Blue Spirit chuckled, but it was swallowed by pain. “It’s been almost three months now.” 

His voice turned serious, “Thank you for helping that girl, I didn’t want her to see what I did.” 

“Thank you for saving her,” Katara said, “I couldn’t have gotten to her as fast you did.” 

She smiled down to her work, blushing a bit. The Spirit smelled like smoked sandalwood and spice. The only other person she met that smelled like that was Zuko. 

Suddenly, Katara knew why his voice was familiar, it was Zuko. Zuko who chased her across the world and who was trying to hunt her friend. Though, last time she saw him, he didn’t seem to care about them too much, forcing them to leave him alone. 

She inhaled his sent again as her glowing hands stitched up his stab wound. Katara knew she should be mad at him. Leave him here to bleed out, but she couldn’t, not after he risked his life for a child. 

There were worse things than healing Prince Zuko in an alley at night. 

Carefully, she went to life up the mask. Zuko stilled, but did not push her away. When the mask was gone, she saw a different person than the one who hunted her. His face was rounder, not because he was eating too much, but rather, the first time he was eating well since they met. He filled out and his hair filled in. It was short and choppy and 1,000 times better than the ponytail. 

Zuko’s mismatched golden eyes poured into hers and she smiled. He tentatively smiled back, causing Katara to beam at him. He was different, changed. She felt she had to stake her claim, as she was the only one of her friends to see him like this. Their smiles between each other made her feel safe. Her Zuko made her feel safe. 

She patched him up and stood with him, he hadn’t lost much blood, so he could walk fine on his own, which Katara thought was almost too bad. 

“You’re not gonna tell your friends about this right?” He asked. Zuko’s voice mezmorized her, capturing her in a way that it never did before. 

“I won’t,” Katara was embarrassed by how breathy her voice was, “As long as you don’t try to capture Aang.” 

Zuko cringed. “You don’t have to worry about that.” He ushered her to the middle ring, hiding his mask. “I’m done with that part of my life.” 

“Are you sure?” she asked, excited. She could rest easy know he wasn’t out there to hurt her. Maybe get to know him during her stay in Ba Sing Se. 

“Yes.” 

The walk back to the ring was a quiet one. Though, at one point Katara needed help stepping over a puddle, so Zuko reached out her hand. She didn’t leave the hold, but neither did he. Just that thought brought a blush to her face. 

“We’re here.” 

“Yeah,: he whispered. How was she in front of him now, when did they step closer? 

Katara reached her hand up to his cheek and he froze. His eyes were closed but Katara couldn’t help but feel like he might attack her for touching his scar. It was bummy and smooth, and manly. In her tribe, scars were shown proudly, as a sign of bravery and strength. She had always wondered what he had overcome to get the scar. 

She thought she wouldn’t ever get an answer, but he leaned into the touch. Zuko opened his eyes and they stared at each other, until Katara decided Zuko’s lips were far more entertaining. He licked his lips, and she hers. They both leaned in a shared a soft kiss. But Katara wasn’t done, and neither was he. She brought her idle hand around his shoulders. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she sighed, 

They pulled apart when she needed air. Her head was swimming and her heart was pounding. That was the best kiss of her life. While Katara didn’t have much experience, she still knew that kiss was amazing. Zuko rested his forehead on hers, panting just a bit. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

“Thank you, Katara,” he answered, his voice low and raspy. 

“Can I see you again?” She asked, pulling away a little, though they still held each other. 

He smiled down at her, “Tomorrow?” she nodded. “I’ll find you.” 

“Same time?” She asked. 

Zuko chuckled and kissed her forehead. “After nightfall,” he said before he let go. 

Katara smiled to herself. “After nightfall,” she whispered, making her way back up to the upper ring. 


	2. Chapter 2

Day 2: Please don’t lie

“Did I do the right thing?” Katara asked him. 

He had Appa stop to rest about an hour ago. All three of them were tired, the past couple days were long and stressful. Zuko had found them a little cave to sleep in for shelter, though it stopped raining hours ago. 

Appa was outside, unwilling to enter their cave, though there was room for all of them. 

Zuko stilled, trying to figure out how to answer the question. Not knowing, Zuko decided to avoid it. “What do you mean?” 

She scoffed, “C’mon Zuko, you know what I mean. I didn’t kill him and I want to know if you thought I did the right thing.” 

“Why do you care what I think?” he asked, not totally understanding her thought process. 

“Ugh, I just,” she stuttered, “I- I- I- I wanna know if I did the right thing. Isn’t that why you’re here? To get me to do the right thing?” 

Zuko sighed, moving to sit next to her in their little set up he made. “It’s not for me to tell you if you did the right thing. That’s not why I'm here. I’m here because you deserved to chose what you wanted to do with him.”

“Just answer the question Zuko,” she whispered, searching his eyes. “Please don’t lie.” 

He wished there was another way out. Zuko truly didn't believe his opinion should be acknowledged to her. He just wanted to have her do what was right for her, not what was right to the spirits or to others. 

“I think you did.” His voice was small. “I think you did the right thing, the entire time I’ve known you, you’ve always tried to do the right thing. It was annoying sometimes, to be honest.” Zuko chuckled and spared a glance at the waterbender. Her bright blue eyes shone with tears and his heart broke for her. “I think you’re brave and strong and  _ just _ . You care so deeply about others and doing what is right, it’s inspiring.” 

Katara started sniffing, which turned into sobs. Normally, Zuko would just watch in discomfort, but as he lived with Katara, he understood she liked to be touched when comforted. Slowly, he pulled her into a hug. When she sobbed louder, Zuko thought it was because he did something wrong, but then she held onto him like a lifeboat. They sat there for a while. Zuko whispered sweet nothings into her ear as her breaths started to even out. 

They fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other. The world stopped for the night and they were grateful for each other. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when i read heavy hearts all i could think of was the christmas carol so here's a play au loosely based on my own time with the christmas carol

Day 3: Heavy hearts

“It is with a heavy heart that I leave you, Ebenezer.” Toph spoke. She was Scrooge’s first crush. It was not the role she wanted, she wanted to be the ghost of Christmas future, but she was a great actor and needed her talents shown. She continued her monologue, breaking everyone’s hearts, but nothing was more heartbreaking than the look on Zuko’s face. There was a reason he was always the lead. “For the loss of the one I once loved,” she finished, looking down. 

That was when Greensleeves started. 

There was a line on stage, filled with her friends. Suki and Katara were in the middle while the rest of the cast stood on either side, singing. 

_ Alas my love you do me wrong to cast me off discourteously,  _

_ For I have loved you oh so long, _

_ Delighting in your company. _

Toph stepped towards Zuko. He held her as she held her hand up to start their dance. Even from where she was standing, Katara could tell Zuko was holding onto her for dear life. 

_ Greensleeves is all my joy,  _

_ Greensleeves is my delight,  _

_ Greensleeves is my heart of gold,  _

_ And who but my lady Greensleeves.  _

Their dance captivated the audience. Katara would’ve looked at Zuko’s arms. Stared at Zuko’s arms, but it was a performance. She did so all the time during rehearsals. So much so that Suki, Sokka, Aang, and Toph all made a game of catching her. She couldn’t help it though! He was very strong and his arms were great! So what if she wanted those arms wrapped around her? She was only human! Could anyone fault her for falling in love with her best friend, especially when her best friend looked like that? 

_ Ah, Greensleeves now, farewell adieu,  _

_ To God I pray He will prosper thee,  _

_ For I am still thy lover true,  _

_ Come once again and love me.  _

Zuko and Toph’s dance continued, until Katara stepped out of line. With a sorrowful look on her face, she reached out to Toph. The state wrestling champ moved flawlessly from Zuko’s arms to hers. They danced as the chorus began. They danced off stage, slowly. They moved with the music and Katara was grateful to be focused on something other than Zuko. She knew she might lose it if she had to look at his face as she stole his love interest. 

_ Greensleeves is all my joy,  _

_ Greensleeves is my delight,  _

_ Greensleeves is my heart of gold,  _

_ And who but my lady Greensleeves.  _

“No!” a sob tore through Zuko’s throat as he said his lines. “Please don’t go!” 

Suki stepped out of line then, the ghost of Christmas past.

Her snow white costume was illuminated by the lights as they hit her. The cast had poured off stage at the end of the song and it was just the two of them. 

“The Fezziwig’s daughter, Belle, was it?” Suki asked. 

Zuko eye’s didn’t leave where Katara and Toph had exited. “She was the only one I ever loved,” he confessed. 

Suki stepped to him and Zuko finally looked at her. “Remember Ebenezer. Remember your past as you look to the future! When the clock strikes two, you will be visited by another spirit. Remember Ebenezer, the past is your business. Remember.” With that, Suki faded into the smoke that had filled up the stage. When Suki passed Katara in the fog, she gave her a little wink and a high five. She almost broke character as she stepped back into the view of the audience. 

Katara was the narrator. Normally, that role was given to a boy, but the director thought she had the perfect voice for story telling. Plus, it wasn’t as strict as the original Christmas Carol, so no one cared that the narrator was a girl. 

“Ebenezer wept before the scene that had just played. His memory normally alluded him, however, tonight, he was seeing the moments as clearly as he had when they passed.” Katara turned to Zuko, who had fallen to his knees. “Ebenezer, it is time to move on,” she whispered. 

“I loved her.” Zuko’s eyes were desperate and filled with tears. There was the reason he was always the lead. He always pulled off crying scenes so insanely well. While other actors in the drama club pretended to cry, Zuko could do it for real on stage, and it was all the more heartbreaking.

“I know,” Katara said, putting a hand on her shoulder, bringing him close. “I know you did.” It was nothing more than a whisper, but her mic picked it up and broadcast it around the room. Her line filled up the otherwise silent space as the curtains closed. Zuko stayed sobbing until his mic was turned off and the house lights went up. 

“Zuko, are you okay?” she asked. 

When he looked at her again, his eyes were still filled with tears, but he was no longer sad. Any wetness in his eyes was leftover from the scene. 

Zuko chuckled, wiping his eyes, “Yeah I’m fine. I’m sorry if I concerned you.” 

Katara, who was concerned, lied and said she didn’t. 

During intermission, Katara helped her friends change costumes, had a small snack, and chatted with her friends before the second act. She stood back on her small platform as she formally narrated the beginning of the next act. 

As the scene played, Katara moved to get into her spot for her next entrance. 

Music blared over the sound system as Aang made his big entrance. 

“Ebenezer Scrooge, look upon me!” Aang cried as Zuko jumped back. “You have never seen the likes of me before! Not that you have entertained any other members of my family, but you will hear me.” Katara chuckled, she always loved this scene. It was her favorite from back when she played Present. “Come and know me better man.” 

Katara laughed as a very grumpy Zuko followed a very happy Aang. She watched the scene until it was time to make her entrance and literally jumped into sight. 

The second act is longer than the first, but it never felt like it was. Christmas present flew by as Katara got to make passive aggressive comments to Zuko all evening. Future came, and everyone grew more serious. 

“Scrooge found himself once again in the home of his Clerk, Bob Cratchet,” Katara said as the scene changed. She went through her monologue, going to stand near Zuko at the edge of the stage. “- no joy. It was Mrs. Cratchet who broke the silence.” 

Zuko cried, because that’s what he does best. The ghost of Christmas future (who sadly was not played by Toph because she was too small, but instead played by Sokka) slowly walked away from Zuko without a word. 

“Show me no more spirit.” Most people who played Scrooge shouted this line, trying to make the audience see that he was hurting, but Zuko didn’t. He has wept during the scenes and showed he had nothing left to give by the time the spirit vanished. “But if the courses were parted from, the ends will change. I want to live. I want to  _ live _ .”

Katara walked on stage. She would be narrating the final part from her little alcove, not from the open stage. “Goodnight, Ebenezer. Remember all the things you have learned tonight and walk among your fellow man.” No matter how strict a script was, they were always encouraged to improvise, and Katara thought now was a good time. “It is with a heavy heart that I leave you Ebenezer.” There was a blackout for her to run to her narrating spot. 

She put on a huge smile as she narrated the end, speaking of Zuko and Tiny Tim. The curtain closed as she went backstage. The cast did their bows until Zuko and Katara were the last ones left. He took her hand and lead them on stage to bow to the audience. She looked at him like he was the only thing in the world, and when she turned from her individual bow, she saw that he looked at her the same way. 

Zuko smiled and pulled her closer as the cast moved around them to bow together. “Heavy heart, really?” he whispered in her ear. A shiver may or may not have run down her back at that. 

“What can I say?” she answered as the cast cleared off the stage, “Belle isn’t the only one that loves you.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Day 4: Blame it on me

“Katara?” Zuko called from the hallway, “What’s going on here?”

Zuko went inside the room he heard a loud crashing from, which happened to be Sokka’s room. The gaang was sharing a house right now. Toph and Zuko owned it while everyone paid what they could in rent. It was a good deal, no one owed the pair anything, but they always tried to pay to live in the house if they could. 

Katara was sitting on the floor with a bunch of junk laying around her. She was a mess. She looked like she was near tears on the floor. 

Zuko walked over to her, trying not to step on anything important. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.

Katara looked down at the floor, clearly ashamed of something she had done, but Zuko had no idea what. 

“I- I was,” she started. “I was trying to get Sokka up because I thought he was sleeping. Dad told us to go to the house if we could today, because Gran Gran seemed to be having a good day. But he wasn’t here and- and when I turned to go look for him somewhere else but I slipped and I tripped on this.” She held up a now broken hockey stick. It was a small plastic one that they gave out at games. Sokka had a million of them and he might be upset at the loss, but he wouldn’t care. It wasn’t signed by _The_ _Boulder_ , his favorite player, so Zuko doubted Sokka would care. 

However, looking in her eyes, Zuko could tell Katara didn’t really care about the hockey stick. It wasn’t about the piece of plastic, it was about her grandmother slowly not recognizing her face. It happened every now and then. Gran Gran forgot a lot of things. She forgot Zuko and Suki on occasion, and forgot about Aang and Toph often. But once she started to forget Sokka and Katara, both of the siblings freaked out. 

After their mother died, their grandmother became their caretaker. After all these years, Gran Gran still cared for her grandchildren when she could, but sometimes, she didn’t know they were there. Still, she talked about them constantly. Zuko had been there a little while ago when Gran Gran talked with Sokka and Katara. She often told them they looked just like her grandchildren. She would say that Sokka was the smartest and most handsome boy she’s known and Katara was the strongest and most beautiful girl. 

It was hard to see your loved ones hurting and he liked Gran Gran herself. Zuko never had to go through that as he was estranged from his family. But still- he tried to help Katara whenever he could. 

Zuko wrapped Katara in a hug. “Don’t worry about the hockey stick,” he said. “Blame it on me. I broke it.” Katara looked at him confused. “I went into his room to tell him you had to talk to him, and when i went back into the hallway, I slipped and broke it.” 

Katara looked down. “We both know you’re a terrible liar.” 

Zuko smiled and walked out of the room, repeated the things he had said to Katara. 

“Sokka,” he said. “Wake up, Katara has to talk to you. Oh wait, you’re not here.” He turned to go and looked to Katara, then the floor, telling her to put the hockey stick back on the ground. He fake slipped, falling on his butt. 

Katara laughed at him when he looked up. Zuko smiled and pressed a kiss to his girlfriend's lips, smiling to himself when Katara melted against him. Katara was going through a hard time, but she wasn’t gonna go through it alone, she would never have to go through it alone. 


	5. Chapter 5

Day 5: Little Pieces 

Zuko was a puzzle, a puzzle Katara was having a lot of fun putting together. 

Katara thought she had finished the puzzle a long time ago, back when they still hated each other. She thought there was nothing more to him than a grumpy mean douchebag who enjoyed tormenting her and her friends. But then things changed, she realized that wasn’t it. 

She completely tossed out the puzzle she thought she had finished. Replacing it with a million little pieces. She started to put the puzzle together when he had stopped searching for them in the Earth Kingdom. She found a few more matching pieces when she met his sister. A couple more when she saw them interact and when he made them leave him and his uncle alone. 

But still, she thought she had him figured out when she found him in Ba Sing Se. She found out she was wrong in the catacombs. From that one conversation, she was determined to put the rest of the pieces together so that she could see the full picture of who he is. Then he sided with Azula and she smashed the partially finished puzzle. She took all of her anger out on the puzzle. Never again did she want to look at his face. Never again would she be fooled. 

Thankfully, it stayed that way for a long time. She didn’t have to question the pieces of the shattered puzzle. She didn’t have to care about the puzzle pieces laying on the floor. She wouldn’t try to remember the picture that she had started to discover. It was a devastating yet intriguing picture, but now that picture was gone. She did not need to figure Zuko out. She never needed to think of him again. 

When she met Katara decided last minute to join her friends on the day of black sun. She was originally going to stay with her father and help him heal, but he had reminded her that she was strong enough to fight and her friends needed her. She followed them, but got lost in the maze underground. 

Aang, Sokka, and Toph were looking for Ozai, to end this. She just needed to follow whatever logic they were using. That landed her in front of a huge door. It was metal, but it was open slightly. There were no sounds of fighting inside.  _ Could Aang have already done it? _

No, he didn’t. 

When Katara peered inside, she didn’t see her friends fighting the Fire Lord, she didn’t see her friends at all. She saw who she assumed was Ozai, and a face she would rather forget. 

“Prince Zuko? What are you doing here?” The Fire Lord demanded. 

Zuko said nothing, causing the Fire Lord to repeat himself. Katara got the feeling he didn’t like repeating himself. 

“I’m here to tell the truth,” he stated. His head was held high, like a true prince. It almost made Katara sick. There was a pair of swords on his back, which was quite unusual, most benders didn’t use nonbending weapons. 

Katara started to pick the puzzle pieces off the floor, dusting them off and organizing them. 

“Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse.” Ozai said as he dismissed his guards. “This should be interesting.” 

This was very confusing. Why was Zuko telling the truth, what was he even going to say? Why did he dismiss his guards and why is his timing so important? 

More importantly, _ where was Aang? _

The room was empty, save for the father and son, the latter of whom spoke out. “First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me.”

Why would Azula lie about that? 

Ozai seemed shocked but Katara couldn’t tell if it was real or not. “Why would she lie to me about that?”

Zuko took a deep breath in. “Because the Avatar's not dead.” Zuko lifted his chin. “He survived.”

Ozai’s face turned to anger. 

But Zuko kept going. “In fact, he's probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.”

Why on earth was he doing this?

When Zuko denied Ozai’s order to leave, Katara thought she might faint, why would he do this?

“You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be your last!”

How could a father say that to his son? 

“Think again. I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen.”

Katara started putting back the pieces, forming her picture once again. 

“For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you.” Zuko was speaking so honestly and openly, Katara felt something in her stomach move. “You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?”

A duel with a child? For speaking out of turn? Katara was trying to put the puzzle together faster and faster. 

Ozai commanded, “It was to teach you respect!” 

Zuko stood definitely and refused to let his father hurt him. “It was cruel!” He answered. “And it was wrong.”

“Then you have learned nothing!” Ozai shouted. Any mortal man would be cowering by now, but Katara admired how the boy stood his ground. 

“No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own!” She believed him. “Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”

Katara was oddly moved by his speech. The picture the puzzle made was making more and more sense. 

Ozai snarled, “Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?”

“Yes.” Katara could hear the smile in his voice. “He has.”

“After I leave here today, I'm gonna free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm gonna beg for his forgiveness. [ _ Cuts to shot of Ozai. _ ] He's the one who's been a real father to me.”

“Oh, that's just beautiful. And maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.” Katara wanted to kill this man herself. She could see the puzzel was halfway finished and she did not like how Ozai came out in it. 

“But I've come to an even more important decision.” Please let it be for good! “I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you.” Yes!

Zuko turned to walk away. 

“Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me, but you'll only do it during the eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?”

“What happened that night?” His voice was gruff. And deadly. 

  
  
  


Katara didn’t know much about Zuko’s mom, only that the Fire Nation took her away. She was putting the pieces together. 

“My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared.” This family was so messed up. “Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished.”

Zuko stilled, voice cracking. “So she's alive?”

“Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper.”

It happened all at once. Katara could feel some of the power leave her body. Fire Lord Ozai wound up, using the same motions as his daughter. Katara wanted to scream at Zuko to hide, to do something, but nothing came out. She just had to watch as the tyrant shot lighting at his own son. It was horrifying.

But the strangest thing happened. 

Zuko was pushed back by the force of the lightning. He yelled, not in agony or pain, but in concentration, focus. 

She watched Zuko move his arms around his body and produce his own lightning. Except it wasn’t his own lightning. It was Ozai’s just redirected. 

It was a waterbending move. 

The blast hit Ozai’s feet and knocked him into the air. When he looked up at Zuko, she saw fear. 

Zuko fled the room, running right into Katara. “What are you doing here?” 

Katara shrugged, having put enough pieces together for now. “I had thought you changed.” 

Zuko just stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hand. ‘C’mon. We have to get out of here. I can get you to your friends.” 

They worked up to the surface and Katara put a few more things together. Zuko cared about her, or at least, wanted to make sure she got out alive. He was constantly worried about how she was doing. It would have been annoying if it weren’t so confusing. 

They reached land and Katara pulled him to go with her. He stood strong.    
  


“I have to find my Uncle, I have to try.” 

Katara rested her hand on his cheek, like she did in Ba Sing Se. Zuko leaned into the touch, making her stomach move again. 

“I’ll find you.” he whispered to her. 

Katara smiled, “I’ll hold you to it.” 

The pair parted ways and Katara was left to figure out everything she had just put together. The little pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and Katara couldn’t wait to find out more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like if Katara had seen the day of black sun scene, she would've understood him more


	6. Chapter 6

Day 6: Are you lonely? 

Zuko settled on the chair. It was soft but firm. People had sat in this chair before him and people would sit in this chair when he was gone. He was not the only person to ever be here, but still, he felt like he was on his own. 

His therapist sat across from him, helping him work through some of his trauma. He had started going to therapy at 16, three years after his father burned him. They weren’t done with discussing it though, because Ozai had started popping up in the headlines again. 

Ozai went to prison right before Zuko started talking to someone. Though that was not the reason for him to seek help, it definitely didn’t make his life any worse. Or any better. 

Now that it’s been about 10 years since Ozai was locked up, he was able to start the appeal process, asking for probation and less jail time. He was supposed to serve life, but adjustments could always be made for the 1%. Zuko didn’t know if he could survive knowing that his father was out there, even if he was guarded 24/7. It was hard. 

Worse, he started isolating himself. Not on purpose, it wasn’t his intent to lock himself away, but he didn’t feel like doing anything anymore. Before all this, he was starting to make a new friend group. Toph was a friend from back when he was rich, but he only started to be close to her now. They both despised their parents and had each other’s backs. He never told anyone she was a Bei Fong, and she never mentioned that he was a Sozin. Technically he wasn’t anymore, he changed his name to his mother’s, Roku. 

There was Aang. Zuko had bullied Aang at the beginning of college. Not all the time, just when they saw each other. He wouldn’t go out of his way to hate Aang, but if the oppertunity presented itself, then Zuko rose to the occasion. A year later, however, Zuko had worked out those issues in therapy and apologized to Aang. The kid took it really well. Now, he had a lifelong friend. 

Suki was from his martial arts studio. She kicked ass and took names. One of the asses she kicked was Zuko’s. He became obsessed with sparring with her and became a better fighter. This resulted in an easy friendship as Suki was super cool and just the kinda person Zuko could enjoy. But, then there was Suki’s boyfriend, Sokka. Sokka was nice and Zuko liked to talk to him. But the man could be a bit… much sometimes. His obnoxious jokes became tiring, but Suki always genuinely laughed at them, so he was happy. It also didn’t hurt that Sokka was super smart. The boys would talk about big ideas one minute and then have a competition to see who could fit more hot cheetos in their mouth. 

He talked with his therapist some more about his situation. He hung out with the gaang almost every night, but now he was lucky if he could get out of bed to see them once a week. At first they didn’t really notice, thinking he was just busy. Sokka’s sister also moved into town at about that some time, so Zuko was left off the hook for three weeks while they all got her set up. 

“Are you lonely, Zuko?” his therapist gently asked. Every therapist he’s had was a woman. Zuko was done being lectured by men. 

Zuko thought. “Yes.” His voice was quiet. “I am.” 

She clicked her pen, thinking. “And how can you fix it.” He went to answer but closed his mouth. “Do you even want to fix it?” 

“Not really,” he answered. “I’d like to because i miss my old life, but… I don’t have the energy anymore. I don’t even have the energy to try.”

“You have friends,” he nodded. “Why don’t you spend time with someone close to them? You don’t have to dress up or do anything fancy, or fun. Just be around them for an hour and go home.” 

Zuko promised himself he would do that much, which is why when Sokka called him to hang out on Saturday, Zuko agreed. 

On Saturday night, Zuko had a game plan. He would pretend like his Uncle needed help with something, or maybe he could say Azula called. He didn’t really know, but he told his therapist an hour. He just needed to make it through the hour and everything would be fine. 

“It’s open!” Sokka’s voice yelled. Zuko opened the door while rolling his eyes. This guy really needed to start locking his door. 

When Zuko entered the house, he saw what had to be Sokka’s sister. She had beautiful brown skin just like him. Her eyes were darker, but oh so blue. Chocolate waves flowed down her back. To tie it all together, she had a cute button nose and full, pink lips. 

Zuko tried not to stare at her. He failed. 

The hour came and went and Zuko stuck around. He ended up staying the night at Sokka’s like he always did. Katara was nice and let him in, but did not take anything she didn’t like. Everyone got yelled at as Katara explained to them why they were wrong about whatever. Zuko found it endearing, but also, just nice. Most of the girls he had been around either pretended not to care, or cared too much. Katara just cared, and Zuko felt each of her empowered speeches held the right amount of passion. 

His heart flipped whenever he saw her. 

He worked and got better with therapy, which is how he had the guts to, finally, ask Katara on a date. She had given him a dazzling smile and hug, clinging to him. She told him she had been waiting, but it was so quiet he didn’t think he was meant to hear. 

They didn’t hide from conflict, if anything, it made their relationship stronger. They’d argue for a few minutes, then reach a consensus. His love for her grew every day. Surprising;y enough, she was the one who said ‘I love you’ first. Zuko’s heart was filled with love and he didn’t hesitate to say it back. 

He was happy. He found a little family in his friends. After a year of dating, Zuko and Katara moved in together. His therapist had told him before the session was over that day, that sometimes it only took one other person to stop feeling lonely. 

“We’re really doing it!” Katara squeeled from their bedroom. Agni- he was never gonna get over the fact that the room was  _ theirs _ now. No more spending the night away. No more walk of shame. No more dreading one of them having to leave soon. 

“‘Are you lonely, Zuko?’” she had asked. No, he wasn’t. Not anymore. 


	7. Chapter 7

Day 7: Caught in the moment

  
  


Katara walked into the kitchen. She noticed Zuko was sitting with Suki, enjoying a cup of tea and talking about the water tribe siblings. 

Not that it matters what they were saying, Katara didn’t care. She was just so happy! She had finally gotten a form that she had been working on for a long time. Her own form! She created her own bending form and she had mastered it! It was a great day. 

Unfortunately, this caused her to have severe tunnel vision. She knew Suki was there, but she didn’t really see the warrior. Her eyes were focused on Zuko. Who had cheered her on while she tried to make something new with her bending. He was also her boyfriend. They were keeping it quiet until the war ended, but all she wanted was to kiss him whenever she wanted. 

And today, Katara felt like she earned that right. 

With an easy smile on his face, Zuko turned to look at her. The smile turned into a grin and Katara was almost shocked with how handsome he looked. 

“I did it! I mastered the form!” She yelled. He stood up to embrace her. 

But Katara had more than a hug in mind. 

Forgetting everything else, she kissed him. She kissed him like there was no tomorrow, or that there was a tomorrow but she wouldn’t see him. Normally, he tasted like smoke, spices, and wood. Now, she got the taste of tea and she opened her mouth to his searching tongue. He kissed her like she would disappear if he let her go. Like she would stop loving him after this. 

They parted, heads resting against each other. Katara panted, keeping time with Zuko’s heavy breathing. 

“I knew it.” Suki’s face had gone from shock to sly. A grin appearing over her face. 

“Oh, no,” Katara said. “Oh Tui no.”

Katara buried her face into Zuko’s chest as she heard a loud, “SOKKA!” coming from where Suki had left. 


	8. Chapter 8

Day 8: Tiny shivers

He is driving her back to her dorm. 

They hung out for the first time alone that night. They went to see a terrible movie and went on a walk. It wasn’t exactly a date, but only because neither of them had said the word. In every other way, it was a date. 

Katara has been friends with Zuko for a while. She transferred this year to the same university as her brother because she missed him and she just didn’t like her old school anymore. 

Zuko had been a good friend since she moved, but he never hung out with her one on one. Still, that didn’t stop her eyes from staring at him. 

He was gorgeous, objectively. But that wasn’t all. His eyes were a stunning gold, but they were also filled with so much emotion that it hurt. His lips were pink, but they held the most heart warming smile. His jaw was sharp and she could see his emotions in the way he placed it. 

His beautiful hair was black as ink, and she saw how he ran his hands through it when he was nervous. His body was solid and muscled, but Katara only cared that he gave the warmest hugs. 

His scar, it should’ve been the least attractive thing about him. Katara thought it was beautiful because he was strong to have lived through it, but she also thought it was pretty. She liked how it made his left eye crinkle when he showed intense emotion and she melted whenever Zuko laughed so hard his eye was forced shut. 

Why it took this long to go out, Katara didn’t know, but she did know she would be going out with him for a lot longer. 

They talked lightly on the car ride. They had been talking for hours, but she couldn’t stop, not with him. 

Most guys would have gone to touch her leg. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it, but she was glad that was not the root he took. 

Instead, his big hand reached over and held her small one over the center console. 

Katara doesn’t get cold. She has lived in ice and snow her whole life. In the ‘winters’ they get now, she doesn’t need anything more than a light jacket. 

Katara doesn’t get cold, but when Zuko’s warm hand holds hers, a shiver goes down her spine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING  
> there is talk of s*x in the bonus, but nothing happens

Day 9: Lock and Key

Zuko sighed, running his hand down his face. “What did you do with the key?”

Katara shrugged, embarrassed. The couple was currently standing outside of their apartment, unable to get inside. Zuko normally carried his key with him, but Katara said she had hers on her and they were just going on a walk, what could go wrong? 

_ This _ could go wrong. Katara didn’t actually have her key on her, so now they were stuck outside. 

“I’m really sorry, Zu,” Katara said softly as she reached out to comfort him. 

He felt embarrassed that he needed comforting. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “So,” he started, “you told me you brought your key with you, but it’s not in any of your pockets or your phone, or your bra, or  _ hair _ , or anything else on you that might be able to hold a key.”

“I’m really sorry I-”

“No, no it’s okay. I know you’re sorry, I do,” he said, kissing her forehead, “but saying your sorry isn’t gonna open the door. So, why don’t we sit down and plan our next move?” 

His beautiful girlfriend smiled at him and softly answered, “Okay.”

Zuko stuck his hand out, which Katara took. They sat down in front of the apartment and stayed quiet for a moment, just needing time. 

“Why don’t we call my dad?” Katara asked, leaning her head to the side to get a better look at him. 

Zuko wasn’t sure about that. “I like your dad and all, Kat, but I don’t think he really likes me and I don’t want him to go on a tangent about how I should be protecting you and making sure yo-” 

“Stop, zuko,” Katara laughed. “That happened ONE time, and it was a joke!” Katara’s father, Hakoda, had given him an entire lecture when they first met. He did the traditional, you must serve my daughter speech. One Zuko was not excited to get, and completely unaware that it was going to happen. 

Zuko curled into himself, “Still, he did it once, he can do it again.” Zuko shivered, “I never wanna have to sit through that again.” 

They shared a laugh, thinking of other things. 

“Uncle?” 

“Working. Aang?” 

“In class. What about Toph.” 

Zuko glared at her. 

“Oh, right. Suki?” 

“Shouldn’t she be teaching at the dojo right now? So I guess Sokka’s our only option.” 

Katara hit her head against the wall and groaned. “I don’t wanna deal with Sokka.” 

Zuko laughed and snuggled near her, “It’ll take five minutes, tops, and then he’ll be gone! I know he’s not gonna stick around bc he probably has a class or something, so we get to spend the rest of our day Sokka-free.” Zuko nuzzled his face into her neck. 

Katara let out a breath, he wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sigh. “Okay fine,” she moved her head to expose more of her neck. “Call Sokka and then make him go away when we don’t need him.” 

Zuko smiled into her skin and kissed lightly. “Will do.” 

Zuko pulled away and called Sokka, who was free right now, but, “Sorry bud I can’t hang out after, I got a class in like a half an hour.” 

Zuko tried not to smile at being left alone for a little bit. “It’s no problem, we just appreciate that you know how to pick a lock.”

“Lock picking, it’s what I do,” Sokka said, before ending the call. 

Zuko was right again, as the lock picking only took about 3 minutes all together. The couple parted ways with Sokka and went inside, happy to have some alone time. 

COMPLETELY UNRELATED NOT APART OF THE REAL STORY

Bonus: Lock and Key

Zuko was reading a book for his English class when his eyes, even the burned one, went wide. 

“Zu, is something wrong?” 

Staring, Zuko swallowed. “Yeah, I- uh, I just read something weird. That’s all.” 

Katara shrugged and went back to not paying attention to Zuko. 

A few seconds late. “Agni,” he whispered with discussed. 

“Okay, seriously, Zuko what?” 

Zuko swallowed. “Well, um, they weren’t allowed to have sex scenes in all books and moviesm so they used references. Symbols, more like.” He looked down. “They used to use different things to describe the genders, like utensils.” 

“What utlensle is so manly it has to be a guy?” Katara snorted. 

“A fork, and spoons were for girls.” He paused. “They also used things like mountains and valleys.” 

Katara snorted, loudly. “That’s ridiculous!” 

“I thought so too,” Zuko explained, “But they used to be so dirty, that they used a lot less allusive stuff too.” 

Katara turned her head to the side. “Like what.” 

“A lock and key,” he said softly. 

It was so graphic but at the same time, still incredibly stupid. A lock and key, what were they 13???

Katara snorted and continued to laugh. Zuko even chuckled along himself. This afternoon had been more interesting than he thought it would. 


	10. Chapter 10

Day 10: Featherlight 

  
  


“Shit!” Katara screamed. Her leg hurt so bad. They got into a fight with Sparky Sparky Boom Man and somehow managed to cut her thigh, leaving her still able to move, but in a lot of pain. 

Surrounding her was her brother, Aang, and Toph. Haru and the others didn’t know what was happening until it was over. Usually, Katara would just heal it, but she used all the water in her water skin, and though she technically could walk, it wouldn’t be a good idea. 

She heard someone “shhh”ing them to make everyone stop talking. Katara’s groans were the only noise filling up the space. She heard shuffling but her eyes were closed, she couldn’t see. 

She felt someone lean down next to her. “It’s okay, Katara,” a voice said. It was familiar but she has never heard a voice sound like this, so concerned, yet, confidant. “It’s okay, I have some water with me. Do you want me to leave it in the bucket, or pour it on your leg?” 

“Pour it,” she spoke. The voice agreed and she felt a hand holding hers. It was not Sokka’s hand, or even Aang or Toph’s. His hand was big and warm. (The voice was definitely a man’s.) Katara sighed as he squeezed her hand. 

“Okay,” he said, “I’m gonna pour the water over now, but it’s gonna sting, okay?” His voice was so relaxing. She didn’t know if she would ever get enough. It was gravelly and rough. The sound of his voice was like music to her ears. 

“Okay,” Katara whispered. 

Water was poured onto the cut so Katara could start healing it without having to move it there, but the voice was right, it did sting. She gritted her teeth as the water went into the wound. 

She must have writhed or something, because the voice moved his hands to her arms to hold her down while she was still in pain, as to not make it worse. His touch was feather light, there was no way he should have been able to hold her down without applying really any pressure, but she was held down. 

“Aang,” he said, “can you go get a bucket of water?” Feet were moving back to the fountain. That’s when she recognized the voice. Zuko was trying to heal her? Why? And why did everyone let him? 

“Katara,” he said again, voice having gone back to the way it was before, “can you start to try to heal yourself? If you can’t, I can stitch you up. I just- uh- figured you bending yourself would be better.” 

The healer smiled lightly to herself, “Yeah it’s better.” 

Katara started to heal herself. It didn’t normally take long, but healing yourself can be quite draining. The whole time, Zuko petted her hair or rubbed her arms when she was tired. 

When she finally stood up, she fully embraced Zuko, who was very startled. 

“Thank you, she whispered. “You can stay.” 

“Thanks,” he croaked out, causing Katara to smile to herself. 

When Zuko was settled in his room, Katara decided to pay him a visit. 

“I appreciate you helping me today.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t totally forgive you for Ba Sing Se, but I think you are trying to change. But if you ever make one slip up, you won’t have to worry about your destiny anymore. I don’t hate you Zuko, I actually think you’re kinda interesting, but I do not trust you. Whatsoever.” She was rambling, so she just turned and walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't ask me why my mind went to teen beach movie with this prompt, i don't know
> 
> but still enjoy- i liked this one

Day 11: Falling with you

Katara and Zuko have a tradition to watch shows and movies that they were  _ just _ too old for when they came out. Through this, they have watched Descendants, Good Luck Charlie, Victorious, and, most recently, Teen Beach movie. 

Zuko thought it was gonna be terrible. The premise seemed stupid, and it aired during the beginning of the decline in quality of disney channel programming. But Zuko was wrong. 

The movie wasn’t terrible, it was great. 

It wasn’t so good as to be his favorite, his favorite disney channel movie was still Lemonade Mouth, but it was really good. His girlfriend laughed at him throughout the entire movie as his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. He may or may not have started to listen to the cast album when he was closing up the tea shop. He also may or may not have watched it a couple times after they had watched it together. It’s not his fault! The movie was really good. 

“This song reminds me of you,” Katara had told him. Cruisin for a Brusin was playing as they watched it together again. 

“Really?” he asked, “This one? Why?” 

Katara shrugged, holding in a giggle, “It’s just you remind me of the bikers, you’re so edgy.” 

Zuko smiled, “That is so not true!” He gestured at the TV, “They wear leather jackets and all, but I’m nothing like them. Do you think I would wear bright red a white striped shirts with fingerless gloves? I do have a bike, but c’mon Kat, they’re from the 50’s, if anything, I’m  _ way _ cooler than them!” 

Katara smiled and snuggled against him and looked into his eyes. “You are edgy though, at least admit that.”    
  


“Fine, I’m edgy,” he snapped with no heat, “happy now?” 

“I will be,” she answered with a smirk. “ _ If _ you dance through the last chorus with them.” 

Zuko groaned then smiled at her. “For you, my love, I would do anything.” Katara smiled. “As long as you do it with me, I know you know the dance.” 

Katara agreed and the pair danced during the last chorus. 

_ Goes 1, 2, 1, 2, 3! _

_ A who, who, who's ridin' with me? _

Katara pushed the table to the side of the room and Zuko pushed the couch against the wall. 

_ I gotta gang full of brusiers, all crusin' with me! _

_ And we're tearin' up, we're tearin' up, we're tearin up the streets _

They grabbed anything breakable out of the way and got in place. They waited for the guitar break to be over so they could start. 

_ Don't stop, stop the music! _

They clapped up and down. 

_ We ride fast like a bullet _

Arms by their sides, hands facing out as they moved forward. 

_ We do anything we want, anytime we want oh yeah, oh yeah! _

After pressing their hips to all four corners twice, they stepped to the side and snapped twice, doing the same to the other side. 

_ We just ride, ride, ride all day! _

They swung their legs as they moved back and Zuko couldn’t stop smiling as they sang along. 

_ We're not gonna live any other way _

Zuko could see the carefree look on Katara’s face as she turned and moved her hands with the song as well as him. 

_ So don't stop, stop the music! _

They repeated the moves, singing louder than before. 

_ We ride fast like a bullet _

_ We do anything we want, anytime we want, oh yeah, oh yeah! _

*snap snap* *snap snap*

_ We just ride, ride, ride all day! _

_ We're not gonna live any other way _

_ No, we're not gonna live any other way! _

They turned again. 

_ Oh no, we're not gonna live any other way! Oh _

They moved to the final pose, which for them was Katara running into his arms. He caught her and on the last beat, she threw up her arms. 

“You’re crazy,” she breathed as she put her arms down, wrapping them around his shoulders. 

Zuko nuzzled his nose into her shoulder as he panted slightly. “You’re the one who made me do it.”

Katara laughed, “You didn’t have to actually do it, you know.” She moved her fingers through his hair, which made Zuko so relaxed he almost dropped her. 

“I know,” he said, “but for you, my love, I would do anything.” He said those words to her often. If she ever asked him for a favor, or just asked him something, he reminded her that he would do anything for her, he would. He would travel the oceans, and take a bullet for her, but he would also just go to the store after work because she forgot something, remember to heat up her heating pack when she was on her period, and do silly dances with her when she wanted to. 

She was his everything, and he liked to remind her of it. 

Katara pulled away, though her legs were still tightly wrapped around his waist. “Shouldn’t we move everything back?” she asked, hands moving from his neck to his chest. 

“No,” Zuko decided, “it’ll be easier like this if we want to do another dance.” Knowing her, after this she would want to do at least one dance more before the movie ended, and he was okay with that. 

Katara smiled and moved her face into his neck, “Thank you, love.” 

Zuko walked them back to the couch as the movie played. At first, Katara was straddling him, but he moved her so that she could watch the movie. Her head rested against his chest and Zuko wanted to stay here with her forever. 

“Can you serenade me with  _ Falling with You _ ?” Katara asked. 

Zuko looked at her, puzzled, “What’s Falling with You?” 

“You know,” she said as she hit his chest, “the one where the girl falls off the stage, it’s the next song.” 

Zuko just stared at her, “You mean Falling  _ for _ You?” 

“It’s not Falling for You, it’s Falling with You!” 

“Are you implying that I don’t know my Teen Beach Movie?” Zuko joked. 

Katara huffed, “Fine, whatever, will you serenade me?” 

“Yes,” he smiled, “I will serenade you.” 

“Why?” 

Zuko rolled his eyes, “Because for you, my love, I would do anything.” 

Zuko moved Katara off of his lap as the song was about to start. 

The poppy intro played and Zuko prepared himself in front of her. 

_ The day started ordinary _

_ Boys walking by (ooh ooh) _

Zuko sang along to the song. Katara had told him a million times that she loved his voice, but Zuko never got it. Yes, he had done some vocal training when he was in high school, but he never felt like he was any good. 

_ It was the same old story _

_ Too fresh or too shy (ooh ooh) _

They smiled at each other. With anyone else, this would be extremely awkward, but with Katara, Zuko was relaxed. 

_ I'm not the kind to fall for a guy _

_ Who flashes a smile (It goes on for miles) _

He moved his arms with the beat like the actors in the movie, which caused a laugh from Katara. 

_ Don't usually swoon _

_ But I'm over the moon ('Cause he was just too cool for school) _

He rushed to Katara to scoop her up from the couch. 

_ And now I'm _

_ Falling for ya, falling for ya _

He was carrying her bridal style as he sang. 

_ I know I shouldn't but I _

_ I just can't stop myself from _

_ Falling for ya, falling for ya _

_ Can't hold on any longer _

_ And now I'm falling for you _

She booped his nose with the actress. A smile was present on both of their faces as the song ended. 

They kissed and moved back to the couch. Watching as the next song came on. It was called Meant to Be. The song itself wasn’t his favorite, but he liked the meaning. He liked the idea of having a Meant to Be, someone you’re supposed to be with. 

“I love you,” he whispered to her during the song. 

She turned to look at him. “I love you, too.” She kissed him. Her kiss made him unable to hear the music. She was his Meant to Be, he knew. 

  
He had fallen for her. Or fallen with her, as she called it. He kinda liked that one better. He liked falling  _ with _ her, like he wasn’t alone, he was never alone with her. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: self harm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's like two seconds of fluff before it's pure angst.

Day 12: Living proof

Katara knew something was wrong. 

There was a huge smash coming down the hall, from Fire Lord Zuko’s room. Tui and La, it was so weird that Zuko was the Fire Lord now. 

It has been about two weeks since the Agni Kai. Everyone had made it back to the palace, and there was only three days left until Zuko’s official coronation. Dad and Bato arrived a couple nights ago. Katara was relieved to have her family back with her, though, it was uncomfortable to have to tell them that she was now friends with Zuko and he took lightning for her. Her dad even accused her of having a crush on the Fire Lord when she was rambling on about him. 

“What, Dad, of course I don’t have a crush on Zuko, he’s Zuko!” she exclaimed. 

Hakoda regarded her, “You’re very worried about him, yes?” 

“Yes.” 

“And you have a strong bond with him?” 

“I mean, I guess, but not li-”

“And,” he chuckled, “I have it on good authority that you stare at him quite often.” 

Katara huffed, “I do not!” 

“Really, because Sokka says he gets ‘the oogies’ around you two,” he said, raising an eyebrow. 

All that Katara could do was be flustered and keep denying it. Yes, she cares a lot about Zuko, but he’s her friend. She worries about him, but he just got hit by lightning. She does have a bond with him, but it’s kinda hard not to after they hunted down her mother’s killer. It just- it wasn’t like that. 

Okay, maybe it was. 

But it’s never gonna happen. Ever. She cares for Zuko and she knows he cares for her, but it’s just different from Sokka and Suki. Zuko has to be the Fire Lord now, and Katara has to build up the South Pole. It’s not the distance she’s worried about, it’s what happens after the distance ends. She’d have to live here. In the Fire Nation. She doesn’t know if she could do that. 

But, if she could do it for anyone, it would be for Zuko. 

She ran down the hall, moving as quickly as she could.  _ What if that was an assassination attempt? Would assassins even try something this early? What if he died after all their fighting?  _ Katara couldn’t live with herself if that happened. 

Flinging open the door, she saw rumpled sheets and the lack of a fire bender. The covers were haphazardly thrown away, some spilling onto the floor. He was not there, but it didn’t take long for her to find him. 

Zuko was in his bathroom, panting. There was shattered glass everywhere. Katara didn’t know what happened, but she did. She had a few ideas. 

She prayed she was wrong. 

Carefully moving around the glass, Katara saw red. Not the type of red that he usually wore. Not even red that she was used to when working with his chest. Bright red blood was spilling from his arms and hands. He didn’t even look at her, she wondered if he knew she was there at all. 

Probably not, as Zuko looked at himself in the mirror. Searching eyes became angry and his hand was swinging. The mirror shattered in front of him, but Zuko wasn’t done punching it. 

  
Katara squeaked in surprise, stepping back as Zuko punched one last time. There were tears running down both their faces. His arm was now covered in his own blood. 

She watched in horror, as Zuko rested his hands on the counter, purposefully getting shards of the mirror stuck in him palms. He didn’t seem to feel anything. Katara started crying. 

“Zuko,” she said gently. He did not look at her, did not pull his palms away. However, he stopped pushing them down, that was a start. 

Stepping over to him, Katara rested a hand on his bicep. “Zuko?” 

“Yes,” he said in a gravelly voice. 

“Can we,” she stammered, “can we move this to your bed, or at least out of the bathroom.” 

He still wasn’t looking at her, but he nodded. 

Katara stepped closer to him and picked up his hands. Shards of the mirror were stuck inside them, pretty deeply. 

“This might hurt,” she said before she pulled them out. 

“That’s fine,” he shrugged. “I can’t feel them anyway.” 

Apparently he couldn’t, she pulled all them out and there was barely any recognition on his face. After that was done, Katara moved to get a towel without taking her eyes off Zuko. She ran the towel under warm water and pressed it to his hands. He didn’t recoil and she wiped the blood of his hands and arms. She healed the cuts quickly, all the cuts but the ones on his knuckles were superficial. 

When she moved them out of his bedroom, she saw he wasn’t walking too well. They didn’t make it all the way to his bed before he collapsed. Katara didn’t make him move, so they sat there, leaning against the wall, as he stared off into nothing. 

“What happened?” she asked softly, trying to convey every feeling he was not emoting. 

Zuko finally looked at her. Though his eyes were empty, they carried so much pain. She had never seen him like this before. “I look like him.” 

Confused, Katara answered, “What?” 

“I- I’ve always looked like h-him, even in court they always said I would be like him,” she understood he was talking about Ozai. He started choking up as he continued, “I thought at least now, I would never look like him, but I do! When I looked in the mirror all I could see was his face!” he buried himself in her arms. “Agni, I can’t- I can’t look like him, I can’t  _ be _ like him! I don’t want to be like him I-” He cut himself off with a sob that wracked his body. 

Katara just held him as he cried, whispering soothing words into his ears. She pulled away, leaving him hurt and confused. It broke her heart that she was causing that expression, but she had to say this while looking at him. “Listen to me, Zuko. You are not your father. He is a cruel, cruel man, and you are nothing like him.” 

“How do you know?” he said. She could tell he was trying to not show he was upset, but there was still a waver in his voice. 

“Do you think Ozai ever worried about being cruel? Do you think he ever fought  _ just _ to be good?”

“No.”

“Zuko,” she said, cupping his face in her hands and making him look at her, “You are living proof that you are not Ozai. Every choice you’ve made, and will continue making, shows the world the world that you are not your father. Okay?”

He sniffed. “Okay.” 

“Come here,” she said. As soon as she opened her arms out to him, Zuko crashed into them. She held in tight, tracing circles into his back, as he wrapped his now healed arms around her. 

“Is it the hair?” she whispered into his ear. “Do you want me to cut it for you so it can still it into your crown, but it won’t look like him.” 

“Thank you,” he whispered back into her ear. “It’s part of it, part of it is just genetics.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Me too.” 

“How long have you been doing stuff like this?” she asked, referencing the shattered mirror and bloodied hands. 

Zuko sighed, “Since I was thirteen.” 

“As much as I want to help you,” she whispered, “I can’t be here all the time, can you please see a therapist or just talk to someone, please? You really scared me.”

“I will, I promise. I don’t want to scare you.” He hugged her tighter. 

The door opened, but she didn’t know her dad had entered the room.

“Thank you, Zuko.” 

“Thank you, Katara.” 

They held each other for a moment, before Hakoda made his way over to the pair. He placed a hand on his daughter’s back. “Is there anything you need, sweetie?” 

She looked up at him, “Can you clean up the bathroom, or find a servant to do it once Zuko’s ready?” 

“Of course.” He paused, “What happened anyway?” he was now rubbing Zuko’s back in comfort. 

“He thinks he looks like his father.” Katara almost smiled at the look on her dad’s face. He was sorry for Zuko and angry at Ozai, it was quite an amusing mix. 

“Well, let me know if you need anything else,” he turned to face Zuko, “And if you ever want to talk about him, I’m here for you son.” 

“Thank you, Hakoda,” he choked out. Her dad left and Zuko buried his head back into her shoulder. It was a bittersweet moment. She was happy Zuko was getting more comfortable around her Dad, but she was upset that this had to happen in order to achieve that milestone.” 

“I’m living proof,” she heard him mutter to himself. “I’m living proof.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i might want to do more with this prompt, idk  
> also, follow mean on tumblr @strawberrymilkyumyum i have done a couple one shots and some bad poetry, so it's good times, good times
> 
> here's a good resource if you or a loved one is dealing with self harm:  
> https://www.crisistextline.org/topics/self-harm/#what-is-self-harm-1


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda like this one, i might make it into a full story but idk.   
> let me know what you think in the comments

Day 13: Spine

“Alright class, today we’re gonna be talking about the spinal cord and nervous system.” The teacher droned on and on, and Zuko wanted to slam his head against the table. He restrained himself from doing so, but only because he thought it would be rude, that, and the rest of the class would stare at him, again. They often stared at him, looking at his scar. He probably should’ve figured that out when he signed up for that anatomy class, but he didn’t think they’d be so rude about it. After every single class that they learned about the nervous system, someone would ask him if he could feel the left side of his face. He never answered them. 

He could, for the record. He could feel trace amounts of touch and he could feel general pressure. The class would never know.

He didn’t even need this class, he was a business major with a minor in English, but, having grown up with a complicated relationship with his own nervous system, he was interested in learning more. Plus, he wasn’t paying for the class, Ozai was. And Zuko could practically scream at him about wasting money, but, as Ozai was in jail, he never had to hear his voice in real life again. 

He was zoning out, thinking less about the spinal cord, and more about the fact that Ozai was in jail. It was true that he would probably never see him again, but he had heard rumors that he was working on an appeal. While a restraining order would be put in place, he had no idea if Ozai would follow it or not. 

He started taking notes halfway in but all he wrote was the word ‘SPINE’ with doodles all around it. One of the said doodles was off the pretty girl who always sat in front of him. 

They never spoke, but Zuko was sure her name was Katara. She was best friends with a kid named Aang, who Zuko had bullied in high school. But, after Ozai was imprisoned, Zuko went to therapy and apologized. Aang and him were good friends, but he never really hung out with the rest of the group. He hung out with Sokka, Toph, and Suki when he could, but double majoring, plus taking extra classes, plus having a job, meant no free time. 

Katara had beautiful brown hair that flowed down her back in perfect curls. He had seen her face in person a couple times and he had been blown away. Her eyes were the deepest blue he’d ever seen. Her nose was slightly upturned, and her lips were full and pinkish. 

She was beautiful, it was too bad he could never talk to her. 

Not because Sokka was being dumb about it, in fact, Sokka told him multiple times to go for it, but he was too scared. His only two exes made him question his own abilities. Mai turned out to be super into girls and Jin kinda ghosted him after two months of dating. He was not eager to have something like that happen with Katara. 

Anyway, he heard people getting out of their chairs. Zuko looked up and saw the lecture was over. Great, nothing happened except he wrote ‘SPINE’ and drew a pretty girl he’s too nervous to look at properly. 

“Excuse me?” a voice said as he was starting to pack up his notes. 

Zuko looked up and saw the face he was thinking about for the past two hours. Thank Agni he already put away the drawings of her, or that would be really easy. All that was on his desk now, was the single word and some doodles of flowers and trees. It was still embarrassing, but it was better. 

“Oh, uh, hi,” Zuko stammered. “Katara, right?” 

She looked flustered, maybe she had seen his drawings. “Oh- yeah. Uh. My- Katara. I mean, I’m Katara. My name’s Katara, hi.” She was shifting her weight back and forth and playing with something on her wrist. Zuko found it quite endearing. It made him less nervous. 

“I’m Zuko.” 

“Oh, yeah,” she exclaimed, like she remembered why she was there. “I wanted to know if had caught the last part of the lecture, but seeing as the only thing you’ve written down is the word ‘spine’ I think I have my answer.” 

That was extremely rude. 

Something must have shown on Zuko’s face, because she went back to ranting. “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean it to sound mean, I wanted to- ugh. I wanted to come over here because you’re friends with my brother and I don’t know, we’ve never hung out before. You seem really nice and Aang likes you too, so does Toph and she barely likes me half the time. Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to study together sometimes and you giving me the notes was just an excuse…” she trailed off. 

“Do you want to give me the notes, I really didn’t write anything down.” Zuko held his breath. 

She smiled and he breathed out. “I would love tha- like that! I’d like that.” 

Zuko shoved everything into his bag and stood up. “Thank you so much, I can get your number from Sokka later, but I’m sorry I really have to go, I have another class in like ten minutes.” 

“Oh yeah, it’s no problem,” she waved him off, “so I’ll see you soon,” 

“Yeah, I’ll see you soon.” 

There was a bright smile on his face as Zuko exited the building. Though, once he got out, he had some asshole named Jet ask him about his scar for the millionth time. He just told him to screw off and kept walking, smile in tact. Nothing was gonna make this a bad day. 

That is- until he got a text from his uncle that Ozai was being released in a month on parole. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, i think i'm gonna take a day or two off, i'm not sure. if you want to know why, follow me on tumblr @strawberrymilkyumyum   
> again, plese comment it makes me very happy


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back! now i have to write like four of these in one day, so they're not going to be very good. this chapter is long but i don't think the rest of the ones im writing today will be, who knows?

Day 14: One at a time

He is sitting next to her in the front seat. Zuko is driving while Katara sits in the passenger seat. The children, the rest of their friends, sit in the back two rows. They are nothing if not chaotic and Katara just wants them to shut up. 

They’ve been on the road for about two hours at this point. It’s vacation and they wanted to go to Ember Island. Zuko borrowed the van from his uncle so that the six of them could all fit in one car. 

They’re coming up on a rest stop. Yes, the highway exits do have gas stations and restaurants, but the rest stop had cheaper gas and a wider variety of food. 

“Okay,” Zuko said while moving into the right lane, “The plaza should come up in like five minutes so we should probably have a plan on how to make it as efficient as possible. I’m looking at you Sokka.” 

Her brother’s ears perked up. He was their planner on everything to do with the trip. He got the schedules and planned out the routes. “So, what do we need? Gas, food, bathroom breaks?” 

Zuko nodded, allowing him to continue. “We should split up with Zuko. We go to the bathroom while he gets gas. Once we meet up inside, he’ll order our food and do his business while we wait. We can eat when we get back to the car. We don’t really have any extra time to spare because of the car wreck on 95, so we’ll have to book it. Katara can feed him while we’re driving, or if you wanna switch driving shifts, he can feed her, but you shouldn’t have to switch shifts for another hour or so.” 

“Thanks Sokka.” Katara said. She didn’t know which would be more uncomfortable. Having to feed him or him having to feed her. At least when she fed him, she wouldn’t crash the car. If she were driving while Zuko was feeding her, her brain would turn to mush. 

Zuko turned his turn signal on and looked over his shoulder to see any blindspots before going into the exit lane. His brow was furrowed in concentration. His golden eyes pierced through the window and Katara’s stomach did a little flip. 

She’s always had a crush on him. Well, not always. When they first met, she hated his guts. But then he cut the ponytail and she hated him for a different reason. Then, they became good friends and Katara couldn’t deny how attractive he was to her. 

He would never know. After her thing with Aang, she didn’t want to ever do anything with Zuko. Sure, she and Aang were closer than ever now, but it took a long time and it was super messy. 

Anyway, Katara did what she always does, push the feeling away. Now was not the time. 

It never was. 

They pulled into the plaza. Zuko drove the car into a spot to pump gas while everyone got out. They parted ways when Zuko put the pump into the car. 

Toph, Suki, and herself went to the girl’s bathroom, while Sokka and Aang went into the boy’s. When they met again, Sokka kissed Suki on the nose. Katara wanted to throw up, but she was mostly jealous of the fact that Sokka got to be with the love of his life while Katara couldn’t even say anything to the boy she was in love with because he would never like her back. 

Aang and Toph started running around the inside of the plaza. Yes, they were fully grown adults now, but they still acted like they were twelve years old sometimes. It did make her smile, though. Sometimes she would see one of them blush at the other and she wondered if they were going to have a new couple soon. 

She spotted Zuko with a similar look on his face. She noted he had his hair tied up into a topknot now. He loved his hair now that it looked good on him and took good care of it. It was nice and shiny. When it wasn’t hanging in his face, he wore it in a top knot. Sometimes he used all of his hair, sometimes he just pulled up the front, but either way, it was really cute. 

He must have felt her eyes on him as he turned to face her and smiled. He looked like a cat-puppy when he smiled like that. 

“Aang, Toph, get back over here and figure out what you want to eat!” Sokka was agitated with the two kids of the group not having any respect for his plans. 

Aang bounced over while Toph grobbeled the whole way. “You ruin all the fun, Snoozles.” 

Sokka gasped, “I do not, I’m trying to keep this family together!” 

“If this is a family, then who’s who?” Suki asked. 

“Easy!” Sokka said as he hugged Suki around her waist. “Aang and Toph are the children, Katata’s the mom, Zuko’s the dad, I’m the fun loving uncle that’s everyone’s favorite, and you’re the awesome aunt!” He beamed at his girlfriend as Katara took in the information. 

Mom and dad, huh? 

“Whatever, just tell me what you guys want to eat,” Zuko said. Katara couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he didn’t say anything about them being called mom and dad. But then again, she didn’t say anything either. 

“I wanna get a veggie wrap from that place over there!” Aang said. He usually picked the restaurant because most places didn’t have very good vegetarian options for him. Anything vegetarian was usually vegan and while they overlapped, Aang didn’t like the idea of being vegan.

They all places their orders while Zuko paid. He went off to the bathroom and the five remaining sat down to wait for their number to be called. 

“You know he likes you,” Suki whispered to her.    
  


“What?” Katara said, choking a little bit and blushing.

Suki rolled her eyes. “Zuko, obviously.” 

“No he doesn’t,” she said, “we’re friends, that’s all.” 

Suki and Toph knew about her crush. She told Suki and Toph was just being stupid and found out. 

“Okay, I’ll leave it be. Mom and Dad obviously don’t want to be together.” With that, Suki got up and moved to sit next to Sokka. 

When they picked up the order, Zuko came back out. Sokka did his usual comment of, “Let’s rock and roll,” and they left. 

Zuko insisted on driving until his shift was up. He wrapped an arm around her as they talked. She made eye contact with Suki, who gave her a look. She mouthed, ‘told you,’ and continued her conversation with Sokka. 

Katara blushed, but leaned into the touch. She was really the only one who he would initiate contact with. 

They got into the car and Katara turned the music down so they could eat and talk. 

Sokka opened the chip bags and gave each couple one bag each. Katara munched on a chip as Zuko put the car in drive and went back onto the highway. 

“Okay, if you can find the wrap I ordered, I’m pretty hungry now,” he said, eyes still focused on the road. 

Carefully, Katara handed him the wrap and Zuko took a bite. It was weird, but it only took about five minutes before the wrap was gone and she started feeding both of them the chips. 

Zuko opened his mouth wide, indicating that he wanted more chips. Katara giggled and put a handful into his mouth. His eyes widened as he took a hand off the wheel to spit the food out! 

“Katara!” he shouted, “One at a time!” Katara was laughing loudly and uncontrollably. Within seconds, the rest of the van also started laughing with her, including Zuko himself. 

He brushed off his hand on a napkin as they went back to talking. When they were done with lunch, Zuko slid his hand over to her seat, resting it on her leg. 

Katara stared at the hand. Then, She moved her own hand on top of it. 

He looked over at her. They made eye contact for a moment and he squeezed her leg. He went back to looking at the road. She took his hand off her leg so that she could lace her fingers through his and rested their hands in her lap. 

She looked back at him. Though his focus wasn’t on her, she could see the small smile and blush he was sporting. 

Suki tapped her on the shoulder and Katara looked back. She was smiling and pointing in between them. Katara blushed and turned back around, wanting to avoid the conversation that was going to happen the next time the two best friends were alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like modern pining aus, can you tell?  
> let me know if you liked this chapter, i'm not really sure if i'm doing well or anything


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suki and zuko are best friends fight me   
> also, everyone is attracted to the water tribe siblings

Day 15: Breathless 

Zuko was studying with Suki in the library. They were preparing for a test in their shared business class. Suki wanted to own her own dojo and Zuko was going to take over the family business from his uncle when he was old enough. 

“What did you get for number 7?” she asked. 

“Uh,” Zuko looked at their homework, “I got c.” 

Suki sighed, “Cool, me too.”

They went back to their quiet studying. They had been best friends since their freshmen year. Now, they went everywhere together. Suki came by the Jasmine Dragon whenever she had free time and Zuko spied on any/all dates Suki went on. They both knew that she could handle herself, but she preferred to have him there just in case. 

They also went to the same dojo. They took two classes together and each taught one class separately and one together. They somehow never grew tired of one another and neither of them ever thought their relationship could be anything more than platonic. She was like the sister he never had, because the sister he did have was just as messed up as he was and they had a strained relationship. 

They chatted a little bit, moving on to their separate homework. When they heard footsteps. 

The secluded corner of the library never had any other visitors. The only people who ever went there were them and couples wanting to make out. But, once they realized their spot was taken, people stopped coming. 

Suki looked up. Zuko didn’t think anything of it until he heard a soft “wow” coming from his friend. 

He looked up and had the same reaction. 

There was a pair of teens, clearly from the water tribes. The guy was almost as tall as Zuko. He had blue eyes and his head was half shaves. The remaining top half was pulled into a wolf tail. He was wearing baggy cargo pants and an oversized jacket. Clearly, he was charming as he had a smile lighting up his face that Suki was totally falling for. 

But Zuko wasn’t focusing on the guy. 

He was focusing on the girl. Her face was similar to the guy’s, indicating they were siblings, however, her face was much more pretty. She had deep blue eyes, which were currently rolling from something her brother said. Her full lips were hinting at a smile. She wore a choker, traditionally they were used as betrothal necklaces, but they were often family heirlooms as well. She was wearing a flowy cropped sweater and high waisted cargo pants. Her hair was down, but the top half was pulled back and she had two loopsies framing her face. 

Both Suki and Zuko were very much mesmerized by the siblings. They were absolutely and utterly breathless. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: minor character death and dissociation  
> this is a part two from day 4: blame it on me

Day 16: Can you feel me? 

Katara was crying. She was sitting in her house with all of her friends in the room. She and Sokka just found out thor Gran Gran passed away last night. 

They knew it was coming. The day before, they said their goodbyes, but Katara was still hoping to have another few hours with her before she passed. It was supposed to hurt less when they knew it was coming, but it still hurt her. She was in so much pain, but she couldn’t feel anything. 

After their mom died, Gran Gran became their mother figure. She helped them with applications, made them their lunches for school, and helped them move to college. She had come to love their friends and encouraged both Sokka and Katara in pursuing their relationships. She had become a confidant and one of Katara’s closest friends. It was hard to see her lose touch with the world around her, but it killed her to know she was lost forever. 

She was sobbing uncontrollably as she heard someone talking to her. She couldn’t quite hear the voice. 

“I’m sorry, Kat, I’m so sorry.” Finally she recognized the voice as Zuko’s as he continued. “Can you feel me? I’m touching you’re back.” 

She then registered that there was pressure against her back. She figured that Zuko was rubbing circles into her back. Tears made her eyes blurry, but she did see that next to her, Sokka was crying. He wasn’t sobbing like she was. He was sitting still, probably zoning out, as tears silently streamed down his face. Suki was holding onto him for dear life as she asked him the same questions. 

She finally looked up at Zuko. His golden eyes were wide with worry and she collapsed into him. He wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested on her head as she buried her face into his chest. 

“I’m so sorry, Kat,” he whispered, “I’m here, I’m here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry :(((


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part two of day 15: breathless   
> might continue this through the prompts bc i really like this so far

Day 17: Obvious

They were staring. Zuko knew they were staring, but he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and Suki couldn’t pull her eyes away either. 

The siblings paid no mind to them, however, and put their stuff onto a table and sat down. They were joking among themselves as they pulled out their respective books to study. 

The boy pulled out some food as the girl turned up her nose. “Ew, Sokka, what is that?” 

“Fire flakes,” the boy said, sounding offended. “And they’re not gross, they’re amazing, you just don’t like spicy food.” Zuko had to agree with the boy (Sokka?) fire flakes were great. However, the ones he was eating were very mild. But then again, Zuko heard the water tribes couldn’t handle spice. 

“That’s because spicy food is gross.” She opened a book, which he recognized as a pre med textbook. Sokka pulled out an engineering textbook as he smiled. Zuko figured this guy was an asshole, but a nice asshole. He didn’t know how to feel about the girl. She was pretty and pre med so she was clearly smart, but she did insult his favorite food. 

Finally, he turned to look at Suki. Her mouth was still wide open from looking at the siblings. It would have been funny if he wasn’t looking the same way. 

“Holy shit,” she said, “he is so hot.” 

“So is she,” he answered. 

They tried and failed to study some more. Every time that Sokka told a joke, Suki would stare at him all dreamy like. And whenever Katara laughed and insulted him, Zuko couldn’t focus for an entire minute. He was almost done with his homework when they both started laughing to themselves. Both Zuko and Suki looked over to see the pair giggling over something, they made eye contact with them for a moment before Suki and Zuko pulled away. 

“We need to stop,” Suki said. 

“Yeah,” Zuko agreed. 

“We’re being too obvious.” 

“Yeah.” 

But as they tried to go back to work, the siblings were too distracting. Finally, he finished his last problem. Suki was still working so he decided to try to chat with her while she was working. 

“I have another shift today if you want to come by.” 

“Are you sure,” she asked, “I feel like I come by too often.” 

Zuko almost laughed. “Definitely not. The Jasmine Dragon welcomes you.” 

She snorted, “Uncle loves me.” 

“Yes, I suppose he does,” he said smiling. He didn’t notice that the table next to them went quiet. 

“What time do you get out,” she asked. 

“I think at six,” he said, “why, do you have another date I have to go on?” 

She rolled her eyes, “No. We have class at six-thirty.” 

“Oh yeah.” They were teaching their class tonight at the dojo. “I guess I’ll have to come straight after work.” 

She smirked into her papers, “I can’t wait for ‘Lee from the tea shop’ to come by.” 

“That was one time!” Zuko said, rolling his eyes. She was referring to when some girl asked him on a date during a shift and Zuko panicked and called himself Lee. Not his finest moment. 

Suki looked up at him with a smile on her face. She laughed to herself and even Zuko started chuckling. 

That’s when he noticed that the other table was quiet. The siblings had yet to go more than two seconds without making some sort of noise. When Zuko looked over, he saw the two of them looking at Suki and himself. He tilted his head in confusion as the siblings went back to work. Sokka cleared his throat and the girl shifted her weight in her chair.

It was quite the sight to behold. 

“Well, I’m done,” Suki said, packing her stuff into her bags. Zuko did the same and the pair stood up. The siblings went quiet once more and Zuko tried not to notice as he bent over to pick up his bag and sling it over his shoulder. 

He looked at Suki, who was bent over in a very overt position to get her stuff. When she straightened up and turned to face him, Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. 

“What?” she asked with fake innocence. 

“Nothing,” Zuko said, smiling. He pushed his chair and walked off with Suki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they are all being really obvious...  
> lmk what you think!  
> next time, we might be seeing it through katara's pov :))


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i messed up the days. 17 was supposed to be feelin sentimental and 18 was supposed to be obvious but i read it wrong.   
> enjoy!

Day 18: Feelin’ Sentimental 

“I’m not gonna lie, Sparky, I wish I was around during your ponytail days,” Toph said as they sat around the campfire on Ember Island. They didn’t have to make a fire, but being outside at night, huddled around the fire, was familiar. They made a fire most nights, feeling at home in this new place. Katara knew it was hard on all of them, especially Zuko. So, if making a fire at night would make everyone feel better, then she would make a fire at night. 

Zuko’s face scrunched up in a grimace at Toph’s words. “Why?” he spat, “I was horrible!” 

Toph considered his words, “I wish I could have kicked your almost bald ass.” 

“I have no doubt that you could have,” Zuko chuckled. 

“I’m not gonna lie either,” Sokka said, “I kinda miss those days.” 

Zuko looked at him with a horrified expression. “I just mean like, everything was so much more simple back then. It wasn’t so complicated. We were just three kids fighting an angry prince and his uncle. Not soldiers trying to overthrow an entire nation,” Sokka said. The rest of the group stayed silent. It was true, Katara missed it too. She suspected they all did. Who wouldn’t long for a simpler time. “I don’t know, I’m just feelin’ sentimental I guess.” 

Katara perked up, thinking of an idea. “Why doesn’t Zuko chase us around?” Everyone stared at her with varying degrees of amusement and horror. “I know last time, I stormed off, but I don’t know, maybe it would be fun. To just play a game like that.” 

“Katara,” Zuko said slowly, “I was joking last time.” 

“Well I’m not,” she said, sticking out her nose. 

The rest of the group agreed. They were gonna split into two teams, Zuko’s team and Aang’s team. Aang’s team consisted of the original members of team avatar and Zuko’s team featured himself, Suki, and Toph. There wasn’t really a point to the game, but she did enjoy Suki pretending to be Zuko’s uncle. 

Somehow, Suki and Zuko had to step back into a tree. The bark hit her back and she knew exactly what part of the journey they were trying to recreate. Suki tied her around the tree and Zuko carefully took her necklace off. Before they did that though, he held onto her wrists like he did back then. There was a funny flip in her stomach when she looked into his eyes. 

When Aang and Sokka defeated Zuko and Suki, they untied her from the tree. Not long after, the game was over, everyone had worn themselves out. Zuko came to her and put her necklace back on. She didn’t know if she should tell him that they were technically engaged now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think


	19. Chapter 19

Day 19: Crashing waves

Katara’s been surfing since she can remember. She would run across the beach in order to get to the waves as soon as possible. She tore through the ocean and learned to balance on the board as soon as she could learn to walk. She’s surfed in every ocean and lives by the beach. She even surfs during the winter whenever she can. 

All that to say, Katara knows how to surf. She’s never had trouble in the water. The crashing waves can knock other people down, but not her. She’s an amazing swimmer and even better surfer. She is in her element. 

So, why, when she’s trying to avoid being rescued by a cute lifeguard, does she fall and almost drown? 

On another hot summer day, Katara and her brother went to the beach. Sokka surfed with her for a while, but went back in to sunbathe and asked Katara if she would be alright on her own. 

Of course she said she’d be fine. She’s never had any trouble, plus there was a lifeguard on duty. 

Yes, there was a lifeguard all right. A really cute lifeguard. He had really pretty eyes and longer black hair that was pulled up into a bun. He also sported a huge scar on his face, but that didn’t do anything to hinder his beauty. 

She didn’t want to- no- she  _ couldn’t _ embarrass herself in front of him. He looked at her occasionally, but she figured it was because she was surfing on her own. 

One of the crashing waves barreled right into her when she was riding a wave. SHe was completely caught off guard by it and fell straight into the water. When she was coming back up for air, her board hit her head and she was forced back under mid breath. Water burned her lungs and she couldn’t tell where the surface was. 

Then, a pair of strong arms lifted her out of the water. She was thrown over a muscular shoulder. For a moment, she thought it was her brother, but then she saw that the skin was pale.

Her back hit the ground and she coughed up water. Her chest beat up and down from chest compressions, hurtful chest compressions. After a moment, he rolled her onto her side so she could cough up all the water. 

Water poured out of her lungs. Katara tried to catch her breath, but it was almost impossible for a minute. She looked up, the lifeguard looked back at her, worried. She wished she’d drowned. 

He smiled at her when he realized she was awake. He had a puppy dog smile. She hesitantly smiled back and tried to figure out a way to talk to him without making it awkward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think :)


	20. Chapter 20

Day 20: So sublime

Zuko was used to the grandeur of the upper class. He was raised in wealth and, until he was an adult, he never had to worry about expenses. Even now, he knew he was privileged. His father was awaiting a trial that even he can’t win, he has a steady job, his own apartment, and, if he’s ever low on cash, Iroh is always there to help him out. 

Needless to say, he’s lived a very hard life, but none of his hardships had to do with money. Since he left the family, he’s also never had to deal with the pressure of living in the top 1%. 

Then one day, he received an invitation from his sister to some fancy party. And, apparently, the rest of his friends got one too. Great, just great. 

Toph is a pro at this. She hates it as much as Zuko does, but she’s better than him at pretending she’s happy. Suki has wanted to go to an event like this her entire life so that she can show up some rich people. Aang has been invited to some events over the years, but never consistently. But Sokka and Katara? They’re prepping their knives and forks for their ‘eat the rich’ party. 

It’s hilarious and amazing, but if you try to eat the rich, they’ll eat you first.

They really don’t want to go, but they have to. When Zuko and Toph were approving of everyone’s outfits, both of them almost threw up from the lack of thought put into their clothes. Toph yelled at them while Zuko tried to keep from blowing up. Toph managed to wrestle Katara into wearing an actually nice dress while Zuko shoved Sokka into a suit. 

The party itself was so sublime. It was the usual. Ballrooms full of gold and diamonds, guests that hated each other but had to play nice, and food more expensive than Zuko’s rent. 

However, the beauty of the room did nothing to dull the beauty of his friend. She was wearing a blue dress that fit her better than anything Zuko thought possible. Her eyes shone brighter than the room and her brown hair was perfectly done. She blended in well, but stood out. She was divine. 

Then Azula came and ruined it. He was on better terms with his sister, as they grew older they realized they needed each other, but she was still so annoying sometimes. She insulted Katara’s dress for ‘not fitting the theme’ even though it was stunning and did fit the theme. 

Zuko made one fatal error in his speech about Katara. He basically said he was in love with her just not in so many words. 

Azula just smirked at him and said, “Now you have to do something about it.” And as she turned to walk away she shouted “You’re welcome by the way!” 

When he turned to look at her, Katara was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm kinda getting bored with these but i want to finish the month, if you have any suggestions, please lmk


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm trying to work on shorter pieces, so this one and the next one are gonna be really short

Day 21: Tired of these walls

“Here you go,” Zuko said as he slid some food under her door. Katara was in quarantine from being exposed at work. It was absolute hell. 

“Thanks,” she sighed. 

“You’re welcome,” he said. She could almost hear his pained smile through the wall. 

Katara stood in front of the door, not even looking at the amazing dinner her boy friend had prepared. “I’m so tired of these walls!” she rested her forehead on the door. “I miss you.” 

She couldn’t see him, couldn’t hear him, but she knew that he mimicked her gesture on the other side of the door. 

“I miss you too.” he sighed, “only three more days.”

“Three more days and a negative test.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like it :)


	22. Chapter 22

Day 22: Stay? 

Katara had decided to throw a mini dance in their backyard. WIth people on tik tok having mini proms, Katara had decided she wanted to do something like that too. Sokka had immediately agreed, he had followers to please, after all. 

Their house had turned into a pretty big deal on tik tok. All of them had thousands of followers. Zuko didn’t understand why, even though he had the second highest follower count, right after Sokka. He just posted dumb videos with his friends.

Suki was live streaming, but Zuko was very unaware. He was too busy trying to get himself to stop staring at Katara. She wore her old prom dress. A light blue ball gown that billowed around her legs. He wished he had gone to the same high school as her. 

“Slow dance!” Sokka yelled as he grabbed Suki and spun her around. She giggled and spun around in circles with him before settling into an actual dance. Aang offered his arm to Toph, who pushed him to the ground and laughed. Aang burst out in laughter as the two started to dance to the song like it was a rap song. 

“Stay?” Katara asked, pulling him out of his daze. 

“Sorry?” he asked. 

“The song, it’s Stay by Rihanna.” She said, grinning at him. 

Zuko shrugged, “I didn’t make the playlist, you know how much Sokka loves Rihanna.” 

“True, true,” she said while looking around. It gave Zuko a pretty good idea of what she wanted. 

He straightened his posture and held out his hand. “Katara, would you like to dance with me?” 

Katara grinned and put her hand into his. “It would be my pleasure.” 

The two danced closely, each basking in the moment as they both danced with their crush. They pined after each other for so long, but both thought their feelings were unrequited. 

They didn’t see Suki’s phone, they didn’t see the live stream that was going crazy over their dancing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was dumb but i thought it was cute


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 3 of day 15 and 17

Day 23: Wanting more 

Katara went quiet when she heard him talk. His voice was like butter. It was slightly high pitched, but had a rasp like none other. Listening to his voice was like music to her ears. 

Then he laughed. 

It wasn’t belly laughter, but it was laughter nonetheless. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. He was beautiful. His side profile left her feeling weak. His golden eyes look at her for a moment. When he titled his head, Katara realized she was being creepy and went back to her work. She looked back over, though, when she heard him getting up. His shirt rode up a tiny bit, so she got to see some of his back. She also got a front row seat of his, admittedly great, butt when he picked up his bag. As the pair walked away, Katara looked over to her brother, who’s eyes were still trapped on the girl. 

“Sokka!” she whisper shouted to snap him out of it. 

He looked at her with wide eyes. “Katara, she was- I mean, Tui, she’s-” 

“I know.” She looked back down at her books, trying to get her problem done. “He’s hot.” 

“He? I don’t care about him, I can get him out of the picture,” Sokka said with confidence he probably shouldn’t have. 

Katara raised her eyebrow, “How do you know they’re dating?” 

“How do you know they aren’t?” he countered. 

That’s true. All she knew about them was that they went to a dojo together, his uncle loved her, he works at a tea shop named ‘The Jasmine Dragon’, his name wasn’t Lee even though he was called ‘Lee from the tea shop,’ and-

“He’s forced to go on her dates!” she finally answered. 

  
Sokka rolled his eyes. He didn’t push the matter further though. 

She finished her work slower than normal. She was not able to get her mind off on not-Lee. He left her wanting more. 

She didn’t dare go to his work until after six. She knew he wouldn’t be there and wanted to get a lay of the land before she dared to go while he was working. 

She talked to a chatty worker while she waited for her tea. She learned about her aura and what that meant along with her sun sign. 

Apparently, she was compatible with her co-worker. Katara just hoped it was not-Lee. 

She saw him around the library twice more that week. It was always the same. She and Sokka would walk to their table, while not-Lee and the girl (Suki, she had learned) were talking and doing homework. They always left before her, and they always talked to each other by the end of their sessions, usually not-Lee would just talk at Suki while she finished up her homework. If Sokka recognized that she started dressing better to the library, he didn’t say anything. But that was probably because he stepped u[ his appearance for the library too. 

She was never quite sure if Suki and not-Lee were dating. But she prayed to Tui and La that he was single. 

The seventh time that they were in the library together, not-Lee said he had a shift and, since Suki didn’t have class that day, she could join him. Suki had agreed and they walked out a few minutes later. 

Katara shared a look with Sokka before they both got a notification on their phones. 

_ I’m bored, let’s go get tea at my the jasmine dragon. It’s pretty good period  _

Sometimes Toph’s text to speech got messed up and it ended up writing ‘period’ instead of just adding a period. 

But, now they were going to get tea at not-Lee’s tea shop. While he was working. With Suki also there. This would be fun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	24. Chapter 24

Day 24: Muse 

It was their first Winter Solstice together. Katara was taking Zuko to her home for the solstice festival. As a result, Zuko would be meeting her dad for the first time. Katara was scared out of her mind, but tried to not let it show. She really wanted her dad to get along with Zuko. She wanted him to like her boy friend so badly. 

Zuko was great. He had been friends with Sokka for years, though he never met her dad in person. At first, she despised him, but they became great friends, which became more. They had been dating for 8 months. Him meeting her family for the first time was long overdue, but she was glad they were meeting nonetheless. 

Katara was in a band with her brother, Aang, Toph, Suki, and, now, Zuko. He had joined a little over a year ago when his contract ended with his father. He played bass, she played the keyboard and wrote all of their songs. 

She never told anyone who her songs were written about, except her dad. 

Sure, they were dating now, but Katara had a lot of feelings about him before they got together. Even now, she can easily write a song about any stage of their relationship. She never admitted they were about someone in real life, always saying she drew her inspiration from other works of art. 

The plane landed. She, along with Zuko, Sokka, and Suki, got off the plane and collected their bags. 

Their dad was meeting them at the house, his car didn’t fit everyone. 

On the way over, Katara noticed Zuko’s hands were shaking. She covered his hands with hers. Staring at them, she said, “He’s gonna love you.” 

Zuko gulped. “I hope so.” 

“I know so,” she said confidently. She was trying to convince herself and him. Katara brought their hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. He smiled a nervous, but honest smile. He stayed quiet the rest of the ride. 

“Sokka, Katara! My children!” Hakoda said, pulling the siblings into a hug. While Sokka pretended he was uncomfortable, Katara embraced him tightly. She hadn’t seen her dad in so long, getting to hug him made her feel safe, as it always did. 

He released them, “Suki!” he said, capturing her in a brief hug. 

“Hello, Hakoda, it’s nice to see you again,” she said as they parted. Suki was Hakoda’s favorite. He often joked that he only had Sokka come home anymore so that he could bring Suki along. The two got along better than they probably should, but it was always fun to see them together. 

“Ah,” he said, moving over to an awkward looking Zuko. “Zuko, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Her dad waved him off, “Please, call me Hakoda.” He held out his hand and Zuko accepted it. “Katara, your boyfriend has a strong handshake.” He grinned. “A good choice for a muse.” 

Zuko’s eyes went comically wide. As did hers. And Suki and Sokka’s. 

“What?” Zuko asked quietly. 

Katara shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “You’re kinda my muse.” 

Hakoda’s eyes widened as if to say ‘i didn’t know he didn’t know.’ 

Zuko smiled sheepishly at her, “Really?” 

Katara smiled back and nodded. 

Sokka retched. “Tui and La, you guys are the worst.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol this was bad but you get the point


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: death and blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry

Day 25: Here with you

They were laying on the ground. Side by side, as always. They did everything together, it was only fitting they would end like this too. 

Zuko’s stomach swelled with pain. He groaned, unable to handle the intense pain shooting through him. He started to cough. Blood poured out of his mouth and out of his open wound. He turned his head to the side to see her. She wasn’t faring any better than he. 

Last he saw her, she was getting stabbed from behind as the sword in his own stomach twisted and left. They fell together, merely inches apart.

Katara fumbled around for his hand. She panted at the action and he grimaced from the strain it took to hold her hand in his. It took all of his strength to squeeze her hand when he saw tears stream down her face. 

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was weak. He knew, logically, that it would be small, but hearing it still hurt more than his wound. 

“It’s okay,” he said. She limply turned her head to make eye contact with him and he smiled. “As long as I’m here with you.” 

She smiled, though her eyes were closing. They didn’t have to say they loved each other. She knew, he knew, their friends knew, the entire world knew. There were no regrets. As long as he spent his last moments with her, then he was okay. 

He saw her chest well up with a breath. A breath that he knew would lead to words, her last words to him. But he never heard them. He didn’t hear anything. He was gone. 


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> streamer!zuko (based off a fic that i can't rember the name of)

Day 26: Keep me warm

Katara came home from her shift. The gruesome 7 to 7 shift always wiped her out. At least, this round of shifts, she was a day shift. When she was on the night shift, she barely had any time to talk to her boyfriend. Being a resident nurse was hard, but it was harder to be away from Zuko. 

“I knew it!” she heard Zuko shout. “I knew it! I told you she was the imposter! But, no! You didn’t believe me. I got voted out instead.” Katara chuckled to herself. “I knew I was right. You said I was crazy, but I was right. Yeah let’s start a new lobby. C’mon, please don’t change colors again, I can’t tell who you are.” Katara dropped her bag and took off her shoes. She figured Zuko was streaming right now. He was in grad school, but being a popular streamer paid the bills, and he enjoyed doing it. His following had really grown over the last 6 months and Katara was very proud. “Wait, hang on guys, don’t start yet, I think my girlfriend’s home.” She imagined his face as she walked towards his gaming room. “It’s 7:30! THAT’S HER! Wait a few minutes for me.” 

There was slight noise as he got out of his chair and rushed to greet her. Because of their busy schedules, they didn’t get to see each other for a few days.    
  


“Kat!” Zuko shouted as he ran towards her. She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug and spun her around. “Ugh, I missed you so much,” he said into her hair. 

Katara removed her arms from his neck as she pulled away slightly. Cupping his face in her hands, she said, “I missed you too.” She gave him a kiss. One that would have lasted a while, if it weren’t for the sound of Zuko’s phone going off. 

He rested his forehead on hers and groaned, “I have to get back to my game.” 

“Okay,” she said as they walked over to his room. “Can I at least stay with you? It’s been a while since we’ve had time to ourselves. Plus, it’s really cold.“ She hugged him, tucking her head in his neck. “Keep me warm?”

She felt Zuko smile as he kissed her head, “Of course. But, my camera’s on, are you ready to meet everyone?” 

“Yes.” 

Zuko smiled. “Okay good.” 

He ran back into his room to grab his head phones and take a seat. Katara walked at a normal pace behind him. She didn’t even get into the room before he started talking. “Sorry you guys. My girlfriend just got home from work and because of her schedule, we haven’t gotten to see each other in days. Shut up- no. She’s just gonna join me on stream and stuff. She’s probably too tired to start playing. Yes, I know we just started this game, when we’re in the lobby again, I’ll introduce you guys. Oh, hey, Kat!” 

Katara sat in his lap as he finished out the round. The chat was going crazy with questions about her, but she didn’t read them. She barely paid attention to him playing. The round took about 15 minutes, so Katara got about 10 minutes of sleep while sitting on Zuko’s lap.    
  


“Okay, guys, time to introduce my girlfriend. Her name’s Katara. Say ‘hi’, babe.” 

“Hi,” she looked at his mic. “Was that thing on the whole time?” 

Zuko looked down at her guiltily, “Yeah, I’m sorry Kat, I forgot to turn it off I was so excited to see you.” 

Katara blushed and cupped one hand around his face. “It’s okay.” Zuko blushed too. He gave her a peck on the lips then cleared his throat. 

“Okay, you guys. Katara’s a nurse at our local children’s hospital so that’s why she’s really busy when I’m streaming. No, Bandit, you cannot hit on her. You’re not gonna steal her from me.” As Zuko was arguing with one of his friends, Katara read the chat. A lot of the comments were about her. 

“She’s really pretty,” a male voice said. Zuko had just disconnected his headphones so they could both listen to the conversation. 

Zuko chuckled and pulled her to him. “Yes, Avatar, she is really pretty.” 

“You’re really pretty, too,” she said. A chorus of ‘awww’s filled her ears. She went red as Zuko rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just start the game guys, you can harass us later.” Zuko turned off his mic on discord so his friends could no longer hear him. The others did the same, and, soon, it was just them. 

Zuko’s screen filled with blue as he was labeled a crew mate. “Hey, KitKat, if you wanna answer any questions that might be fun, or you can just watch me play.” 

Katara answered a few questions about what her job was like, how she met Zuko, and what she enjoyed doing. Then, she snuggled into Zuko’s side and asked him about the stuff he was doing. 

“How do you fake tasks?” she asked. 

“You kinda just stand there and hope no one notices that the task bar doesn’t go up when you’re done.” 

“Can anyone vent?” 

“No, only the imposter.” 

“What’s your favorite task?” 

“I like asteroids and dumping the shutes.” 

“Least favorite task?” 

“Mmmm. The one in electrical with the circles, that one’s terrible. Oh, and Simon Says. It takes me forever to get the reactor started.” 

“Oh, Spirits! Did lime just vent?” 

“Oh, Agni. Yes, yes she did. Shit, shit, shit , shit shit, fuck. She’s chasing me to the emergency meeting button. Shit, she’s trying to lock me in.”

Katara giggled at her boyfriend as he frantically called the meeting and got Bandit voted out of the game. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more on tumblr @strawberrymilkyumyum


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back and adding all of the chapters for the rest of the month today 
> 
> also thank you for 1,000 hits!!

Day 27: Don’t worry 

Fire Lord Zuko awoke to the sounds of fighting outside his door. The sun was just beginning to peek through the window, spilling light onto their sheets. 

Though the Fire Lord immediately sat up, alarmed, the Fire Lady didn’t stir. She never did get used to the Fire Nation schedule of waking up early, instead, she pushed back her meetings until mid morning. 

There wasn’t time for Zuko to think about anything, really. The sounds of struggle were getting closer and all he could do was grab his swords and a shirt. 

“Zuko,” Katara mumbled. “Zuko, what’s happening?” 

“Don’t worry, I can handle this.” He kissed her before moving towards the hallway, “I love you.” 

“Zuko!” 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love art but idk the technical side of it so i did my best

Day 28: Heavenly

“I love renaissance paintings,” Katara said to herself. She wondered around the art museum and took in all the sights. Her favorites were paintings, but she did enjoy tapestries and old weapons as well. 

The art museum was her favorite place to go. When she needed some peace and quiet, she would walk through the calming impressionist paintings. When she needed inspiration, she would stare at abstract paintings for hours. She would look at sculptures and architecture whenever she felt like it. Sometimes, she would listen to music as she walked and pretended she was a main character in some indie movie. 

“I see the appeal, but I prefer the baroque period myself,” said a raspy voice next to her. 

She stared at him. 

He kept going, somewhat awkwardly. “Lots of times people mix the two up, but not every classical painting is renaissance, the lines and flow are different. Baroque uses more motion and it’s usually chaotic and dramatic. While in the renaissance, artists would create harsh lines of movement, using stability and often one subject. Their muses were different too, baroque artists took from more everyday life while renaissance artists used subjects that were more…” 

“Heavenly?” she offered. Watching him awkwardly explaining his choice and comparing and contrasting the styles they liked was quite amazing. And charming. 

The man rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously, “I was gonna say devine, but heavenly works too.” 

Katara couldn’t help but laugh. She had been to this museum more times than she could count, but this was definitely her favorite trip, and it was not what she was expecting when she arrived. 

“I can see the appeal, but I’ve always found the baroque period too dark.” 

“As in subject matter?” 

“In their color pallet,” Katara answered. 

He chuckled, “Yeah, I suppose it can be hard to see what’s going on sometimes.” 

Katara exhaled from her nose in silent laughter, really enjoying the moment with this stranger and, strangely, not wanting it to end. 

“Zuko,” he suddenly said. When she turned to look at him, he was bright red. “My name is Zuko, I’m Zuko.” He reached his hand out and she took it. The contact didn’t cause fireworks, but it did make her even more interested in him. 

“Katara.” 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poet!zuko

Day 29: In my heart

Zuko let out a sigh as he finished the last line of a sonnet that no one would read. He was an award winning poet who had written multiple best selling poetry books, but there were too many poems that ended up on the cutting room floor. 

Most of those poems were written about his best friend, the girl he’s been in love with since he met her. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t love at first sight, maybe they hated each other, but once they worked past their differences, Zuko knew he was in trouble. 

He spent countless hours writing poems, trying to come up with another subject matter, but his thoughts kept him coming back to Katara. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tossed the paper into his reject pile. 

_ Her lips hold kind words yet bitter tongue,  _

_ In words so ugly yet so divine,  _

_ Eyes can make any elder young _

_ Carving through the wicked hands of time.  _

_ Tridents held high and crying so loud,  _

_ Sirens listening ears fall so weak,  _

_ While strong daughters make their families proud,  _

_ My father words ‘the blind mustn’t speak.’ _

_ She whispers light into cold, dark days,  _

_ But has her own monsters trapp’d inside,  _

_ With her presence comes moonlit rays,  _

_ And words unspoken until I die.  _

_ Though my soul is battered, bruised, and weeping,  _

_ In my heart it’s always you I’m keeping.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i did write the poem myself, yes, i know it's trash but i wanted to add the title of the fic to the poem so i had to come up with an original sonnet


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love katara and zuko parenting toph!!!

Day 30: Forever family

Katara knows that Toph has nightmares. She suspects it’s why she joins Katara in Zuko’s room once they arrive at the palace after the war. There are a few nights of the two sharing restless nights while Zuko is passed out due to his injury. Zuko sleeps on the bed as he could, Katara sleeps in a small couch next to him, always holding his hand, and Toph either joins her on the couch or sleeps horizontally by Zuko’s feet. 

Katara is aware that Toph is spending more time in Zuko’s room than necessary because he was the only one who truly got her. They came from similar backgrounds and had similar issues with their parents. She also found out they had similar disabilities, as Zuko apparently was legally blind in his left eye. 

Katara suspects that the reason that Toph is so attached to her is because she’s the ‘mom friend.’ She was fine with being the mom friend, it just usually didn’t come in handy while trying to befriend Toph. 

When Zuko finally does wake up, he’s always up, like them. While the rest of their friends deal with nights differently, Toph, Zuko, and herself snuggle close together in his bed. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t, but it’s the only way that she can get through the nights. 

Katara knows that a lot of bad things had to happen in order for her to get here. Sleeping in the Fire Nation palace with the Fire Lord himself and the greatest earthbender in the world who also invented metal bending. But, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else. She was happy and safe with her found family. She wouldn’t change that for the world. 


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a lousy way to end the month, but i couldn't come up with anything else lol

Day 31: Home

For the longest time, Zuko didn’t know what home was. He never really had a place to call home since his mother left. The palace didn’t feel like home until he was ripped away from it. His crappy, old ship didn’t feel like home either. He was never happy there. When he wandered through the Earth Kingdom, he hoped to hind a town that felt like home. The place that the little boy Lee was from felt like a home, but not his. 

Ba Sing Se could’ve been home, except it couldn’t’ have. It was safe, but it wasn’t relaxing. He was always on edge from thinking he would be caught, but also dying to do  _ something _ with his time. Unfortunately, he was not made to be ‘Lee the tea boy’ full time. 

He thought the palace could be home again, but it wasn’t. His father was cruel and his sister and her friends were too full of propaganda. 

He found the waterbender again, and things changed. The Western Air Temple felt more like home than anything in his life. His house on Ember Island was more like a home than when he had gone there as a kid. 

She was his home, he knew that when she was almost hit by lightning. 

Katara couldn’t stay with him. She had more work to do, and so did he. But, when she left, his home went with her. 

The palace only felt like home while she did ambassador work. Eventually, those weeks she spent with him, turned into months, then years, then, 10 years after the war, turned into forever. 

He had a grand palace, but with her, he had a home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first fic i've ever published, so thank you to everyone who read it! it's been a busy month, so ik i haven't been good with keeping a schedule, but i'm still so happy i got to finish this!
> 
> also, follow me on tumbler @strawberrymilkyumyum


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